Union County used a 16-2 finish to quell a Trigg County rally and hand the Wildcats a 72-50 loss in the championship game of the Chappel Allen Memorial Classic at Wildcat Gym.
The Braves led for most of the contest, using a sharp-shooting eye to build a nine-point first half lead. Trigg cut the deficit to 31-25 by halftime.
Union County hit a trio of 3-pointers to start the second half as part of an 11-0 run to push the lead to 42-25.
A Kris Hughes bucket gave Union its biggest lead of the game at 48-27 with 2:34 left in the third quarter.
Trigg County chipped away at the start of the fourth quarter and got the deficit to single digits when Tyler Ahart was fouled on 3-point shots on consecutive trips. He hit 4 of 6 free throws to get the Wildcats to within 56-48 with 3:49 left.
Eli Mackey buried a 3-pointer that began the final 16-2 run as the Wildcats went the final 4:28 with one field goal.
One night after scoring 107 points in a semifinal win over Martin Westview, the Braves continued their hot hand by shooting 55-percent from the field including nine 3-pointers.
Trigg County stayed close thanks to hard works on the glass where nine offensive rebounds led to 11 second-chance points.
Kendric Adams led the Wildcats with 14 points. Luke Washer scored a career-high 11 points, and Ahart added 10 points. Jhaden Vaughn, Trigg’s leading scorer, was held to four points and only had four shots from the field.
Union County put four players in double figures led by Mackey’s 18 points. Izaiah Manuel scored 14 points off the bench, part of Union’s 23-point bench output.
Trigg County enters Christmas break with a 4-4 record. They will play in the Roy’s BBQ Classic in Russellville after the break.
Union County 16 15 21 20– 72
Trigg County 12 13 7 18– 50
Union County [5-3] – Mackey 18, Manuel 14, Hughes 12, Kanipe 10, Theus 6, Corbett 5, King 4, Pollard 3
Trigg County [4-4] – Adams 14, Washer 11, Ahart 10, K. Vaughn 8, J. Vaughn 4, Moore 3
